JustBreathe
by DANIE22
Summary: The Battle of Hogwarts is over, Voldemort has been vanquished, they are free...so what do they do now? This is my version of what happened directly after The Battle of Hogwarts, just after Harry leaves the headmasters office. Slight DH spoilers obviously.


Just…Breathe

Disclaimer: All Characters are the property of JK Rowling - not me.

Just as Harry reached the last step that led into the great hall, the invisibility cloak under which he'd been hiding was suddenly whipped off of him. Surprised, Harry turned to find a very irate Ginny Weasley standing in front of him with her hands on her hips and a very Mrs. Weasleyish look on her face.

"Gin, I–" Harry started wearily, only to be cut off.

"_Don__'__t you __'__Gin__'__ me, Harry Potter!__"_Ginny screamed as she jabbed a finger in to his chest. "Where have you been? I've looking everywhere for you, waiting for you!" Ginny shoved a hand through her messed up red hair while she gazed Harry. "You know what's funny? I'm always waiting for you, Harry. I waited for five years for you to notice me and then you did and I thought, stupidly, that this was it – he loves me. We'll be together and he'll never leave me behind," Ginny gave a hysterical laugh before jabbing him in the chest once again. "But you did. You left me for nearly a year Harry! A year! Do you have _any_ idea what that was like, to–"

"Ginevra," Mrs. Weasley started in shock. "Harry-"

"Do NOT even try to interfere Mum!" Ginny said viciously to her mother, who looked as if she'd been slapped in the face, before turning back to Harry. "So I waited _again_ for you Harry. I waited, hoping to hear your voice, see you face, waiting for a sign that you were alright. _Anything._ And then I saw you tonight, in the Room of Requirement, and again I thought that you wouldn't leave me. That we would fight together - side-by-side, helping each other, but you left. You left me there to wait yet again and I could hear the fighting from outside the room, Harry. I could hear it and every time I heard a thud against the wall or the door I thought it was you. _I thought it was you!__"_ Ginny whispered softly before scrubbing at the tears that were rolling down her face. "I thought it was you and there was nothing I could do, I was stuck there in that room where you left me and there was nothing I could do!"

Harry could only stare at Ginny, the numbness he was feeling wearing off as, in shock and regret, he watched her for the first time, ever, break apart. Unconscious of all the curious faces watching and ears listening, Harry reached a hand out to place upon Ginny's cheek. It wasn't much but at the moment it was all he could do. "Gin -" Harry tried, only to, once again, be cut off.

"You left me Harry! And I didn't know if you were alright or…" Ginny faltered as she tried to blink away tears. "I didn't _know. _Not until you came to the Room of Requirement again - and that was only to kick me out of it! So I fought and I waited and then I saw you – I saw you in Hagrid's arms and I – _How could you do that Harry?" _Ginny ended on a scream. "How could you do that to me - or any of us? Do you know how that felt? I thought that I'd lost you without ever really getting the chance to be with you!" Suddenly Ginny was hitting Harry in the chest over and over again, screaming _"How could you?" _with every punch.

Harry stood there as Ginny continued to pound his chest, not really feeling the blows. He stood looking at the person he'd fought so hard for; the person from who he'd drawn all his strength and purpose during this whole turbulent journey; the person he'd pictured as he'd waited to die; the person he'd lived for. Harry stood there taking in all the bruises and blood upon the face he treasured more than anything, he took in all the rips and tears in her clothes and he took in the heartbreak upon her face, heartbreak he'd caused, and suddenly he crushed Ginny in his arms and held on for dear life. Held on to the only thing that mattered.

Harry didn't know how long he held Ginny tightly in arms but after a while her tears had stopped and her arms had ceased pummelling him and had wrapped themselves around him to grip him just as tight as he was holding her.

"Ginny - No, listen to me,' Harry said as she tried to interrupt. Harry gazed down into Ginny's eyes as he cupped her face, "Just listen. I didn't want to leave you Ginny and I know that that's not what you want to hear but it's the truth. I didn't want to the leave the best thing that had ever happened to me behind - but I had to. I had to because…because I couldn't let him taint that too. I couldn't, not when he'd already tried to take you once before. Everyone I have ever loved he has taken from me and I couldn't….I couldn't stand it if he took you too." Harry pressed a hard kiss to her lips before wiping away her silent tears and laying his forehead against hers. "You are everything, Ginny! Everything. It's you I've been fighting for, you I'd picture every time I needed reminding of why I was doing this. And it was your dot I'd watch every night on the Marauder's map. And when," it was Harry's turn to falter. "When I went to Voldemort tonight - fulling expecting to die - it was you I thought of, it was your face that I wanted to be the last thing that I'd ever see. And I am sorry - _so sorry_ - for trying to sneak upstairs but I'm just so _tired _of everything and I just needed - I needed five seconds to not have to fight or explain or give condolences. I just want five seconds to…"

"Breathe." Ginny finished for him.

"Yeah," Harry sighed and kissed her on the forehead. "Breathe."

"Come on," Ginny smiled wearily at him before filling his hand with her small one and leading him up the Gryffindor common room, through the groups of students and teachers still in shock at witnessing the emotional outburst between their saviour and their comrade; through the group of Weasleys, one of who made as if to halt the duos progression out of hall only to be stopped by her husband's restraining arm. She lead him pass the fallen and injured warriors who fought so valiantly beside them, her steps faltering a little at the sight of her beloved brother before Harry gripped her hand and the two exited the hall in a cloud of suspending silence, too absorbed in each other and too tired to notice the smiles starting to appear on the faces in the crowd as they began to realise that out of tragedy love bloomed.

Hermione sat down wearily on one of the arms chairs in the Gryffindor common room and rubbed tiredly at her eyes, trying to scrub away the images burnt into them during the past few hours. It didn't work. Over and over again, like a slideshow, she saw body after body jolt and hit the floor – friend and foe alike. The Battle of Hogwarts had come at a high cost but, Hermione reasoned, how could you put a price on freedom? Because that is what they were now – free.

Hysterical laughter fought its way up her throat bubbling till it burst from her mouth; shocked she clamped her blood covered hands over her mouth in an attempt to stop the horrible noise forcing its way out of her mouth. Her attempt was unsuccessful though as her laughter quickly turned into wrenching sobs. _They were free! What were they supposed to do now? All they__'__d ever thought of these past months was beating Voldemort and now that they had __–__ what were they supposed to do? Harry, who__'__s whole had been leading up to this moment? Ron, who__'__s family had been fractured and torn apart? And me? What am I supposed to do now?_ Hermione shuddered as these thoughts pounded their way into her weary head. Their whole schooling career had led to this moment and now it was … "Over," she finished the thought with a whisper.

"What's over?" a raw voice asked. Hermione's head lifted from where it lay on her bent knees to find Ron sitting back gingerly in the chair mirroring hers, she hadn't noticed him entering the common and had assumed he was still with his family in the Great Hall where she'd seen him last.

"Everything," she said, her voice husky form the tears. "It's all over – what – what do we do now?" she asked as she gazed at him numbly. "I don't – I can't –what do I do now? What- I-" She broke off as Ron gave a deep sigh and left his chair to stand in front of her and hold out his hand. "Come on," he said, reaching for the hand that was lying limp on her lap. "Up."

Hermione looked at him in confusion as she slowly got to her feet, "Ron, what are – oomph." She was cut off as Ron quickly sat in the chair she'd just vacated and pulled her onto his lap and wrapped her in his arms. "This is what we do now, Mione. We hold the people who are left close to us, we be grateful that we still have them and as much as it hurts…as hard as it is, we – we do as Harry and Ginny said - we breathe."

Hermione looked into Ron's battle-worn face in shock, it wasn't like Ron to make speeches nor was it like him to be so articulate. Just another sign that they were growing up, Hermione mused as she gave him a small smile and a nod as she cuddled into his arms. "We breathe."

The End.

A/N: I previouly wrote this and had submitted it to another site, it didn't really get as much feedback as I would have liked so please, please review.


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